Cheap Clothes: Upcycle Your Wardrobe

Frugal living is the new cool.

Times are tight all over. People have lost jobs and everyone is learning to live on less. Many people have known for years how to do this but it is a new, and difficult, concept for others. Magazines are full of new ideas on re-using or re-purposing clothes and other household items. All of this isn't really new, it was a necessity during the difficult years of the Depression and World War II. Learning to take what you had and make something new was not considered creativity, it was a necessity.

A new generation is finding the value in upcycling and recycling their own clothes. Will it work for you?

One of the best money saving options that anyone from a large family knows: handing down clothing. Younger kids take over things their siblings just can fit into anymore. Sometimes it is things that never fit well, which is all the better for the little guy! He or she gets something that's probably never been worn much, if at all.

This can sometimes get on the nerves of the younger siblings. They might feel as if they only get cast offs, so try to make sure everything given to the child is clean and in the best shape. Reserve anything stained or with holes only for rough or outside play. When possible, make sure they do get something new that's never been an older siblings-even if new means going to a yard sale or thrift store and is 'new to them'.

• A cheap way to dress up clothing is to sew on patches and other embellishments made form other clothes.

• A pocket cut from an old pair of ripped up jeans can cover a stain on another pair of jeans in otherwise good condition.

• Beads or sequins from one shirt can be sewn to the cuffs of a sweater or line the edge of a pocket. Fabric paint can at a creative touch to almost anything.
  

• Adult clothing can be trimmed down to make child size versions, too. Old night gowns and pajamas are very easy to convert. Once old clothing is thought of as unclaimed fabric, the ideas begin to really flow.

• Use old wool sweaters to make diaper covers, leggings, and many other accessories. Wool is a great medium once it is felted. To felt wool, wash in hot water and dry on high heat. The wool will shrink and compress into a thick material. It will now be able to be cut without unraveling.
• To make leggings, just cut sleeves from a sweater.
• Headbands can be made from a neckline or from a turtleneck removed from the sweater. Use stitches or sewing glue to add decorations. This is a great rainy day project.
• Torn up jeans can be sewn into a cool purse.
• Clothes that have stains can sometimes be saved by dying them. A fun way to salvage stained shirts is to tie dye them. Kids love tie dyed shirts, especially if they participate. This is another good rainy day project.
• Turn a worn shirt into a fun pillow.
  
• Tote bags are easy to make if the sleeves are removed and the bottom sewn shut. Finish the ragged edges left by the sleeves and voila- kid sized tote. Here's step by step instructions: Recycled T-Shirt Tote.

The possibilities are endless. Just use your imagination and create something new rather than throwing something away.